BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The nationally-ranked No. 24 Moravian College women's basketball team defeated Goucher College, 77-59, Saturday afternoon in Landmark Conference action. Senior guard Amanda Kreuder led the Greyhounds with 11 points, five assists, five rebounds and a steal.
Junior guard Precious Kollock tallied the first bucket of the game for the Gophers (5-13, 1-7 Landmark). Classmate guard Sharnell Huff added a jumper, but junior guard Katie O'Rourke put Moravian (18-2, 9-0 Landmark) on the board with an easy two. Kreuder went in for the layup while getting fouled. She converted the free throw for a 5-4 lead two minutes in.
Junior forward Taquesia Lambert hit a layup for Goucher to end the Greyhounds run. After trading scores, Kreuder and freshman forward Alesha Marcks added two buckets for the 14-8 lead six minutes in. Freshman center Amaka Ezeani and classmate guard India Perkin brought the Gophers within two points at 14-12.
A steal and a layup by junior guard Alyssa Hann put the score at 16-12. Classmate guard Danielle Brogan hit a three from the wing for the 19-12 lead with 11:32 to play in the half. Junior center Laura Jordan hit a jumper on the next possession for the 21-12 lead. Sophomore forward Alexis Wright hit a bank shot from the top of the key for the 23-12 lead.
O'Rourke, Kreuder, junior forward Ericka Blair, and freshman guard Steph Peterson added scores, before senior guard Shante Atkinson hit a free throw to end Moravian's 19-0 run, and make the score 33-13 with 5:29 to play in the half. Atkinson then hit a layup while getting fouled. She converted the free throw to put the score at 33-16. Both teams exchanged points down the stretch as Moravian took a 40-23 lead into the locker room.
Moravian shot 41-percent from the field in the first half while Goucher shot 31-percent from the field. The Gophers held the rebounding advantage at 24-19 while the Greyhounds committed 11 less turnovers than Goucher. Kreuder led the way at the half for Moravian with nine points, three boards and two assists while Huff led the Gophers with five points and five rebounds.
Kollock registered the first bucket of the second half with a jumper, but Kreuder answered with a layup. Jordan added a 17-footer for the 44-25 lead, but Ezeani responded with a layup at the other end.
After trading baskets, Wright tallied six straight points to put Moravian up 52-29 five minutes in. Blair then added four points of her own for the 56-29 lead. A free throw by Atkinson ended the Greyhounds 10-0 run to put the score at 56-30 with 13:18 to play.
Huff then hit a jumper, but two free throws by Hann and a mid-ranger jumper from Wright put Moravian up 63-34 with 11 minutes to play in the game. After two free throws by Kollock, Lambert went coast-to-coast for the Gophers to make the score 63-38 with ten minutes remaining.
A three-pointer by Huff made the score 65-45 with eight minutes left in the contest. Kollock then hit a layup, but freshman guard Audrey Schiavone answered with a lay-in of her own to put the score at 67-47 with 6:25 to play. The Greyhounds maintained a 15-point lead over the final minutes of the contest as they went onto win 77-59.
Wright finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and a steal while tying her career-high in blocks with five. O'Rourke added eight points, four boards, three assists and three steals while Jordan had eight points, four rebounds and two blocks. Blair added eight points and four rebounds while Hann added eight points, four rebounds and four steals.
Kollock finished with a game-high 16 points for Goucher while Huff had 13 points and nine rebounds. Ezeani finished with eight points and five boards while freshman guard Ebonie Diggs added seven points, four rebounds and three assists.
Moravian shot 35-percent from the field while Goucher shot 36-percent from the field for the game. Both teams finished with 44 rebounds while the Greyhounds committed 13 less turnovers.
Moravian returns to the court on Wednesday, January 30th as they travel to Drew University for a Landmark Conference battle. The contest is set for 7 p.m.
